Prince William is celebrating Father’s Day with a touching photograph from his past.
In honor of Father’s Day on Sunday, June 16, the Prince of Wales, 41, shared a throwback image on social media that showed himself as a child, playing in the garden with his father, King Charles.
In the photograph, a young Prince William wore a pair of blue overalls, a blue and white striped t-shirt, black shoes and little white socks. The grinning prince stood in a garden full of daisies, close to his father, who wore a gray suit with a pink shirt and brown shoes.
King Charles — who was at the time himself the Prince of Wales — appeared to be in the process of kicking a toy ball in the image as he looked down and smiled.
“Happy Father’s Day, Pa. W,” Prince William wrote alongside the sweet image.
The heir to the throne himself shares three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6. with his wife, Kate Middleton, 42, who has largely remained out of the spotlight since announcing in March that she has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy.
However, Princess Kate attended Trooping the Colour alongside her husband and children on Saturday, June 15, amid her cancer treatment, marking her first attendance at a public event with the royal family since Christmas.
Father’s Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June in both the U.S. and U.K. and the sweet image marks a change from how Prince William celebrated the special day last year.
In June 2023, Kensington Palace issued two new pictures of the Prince of Wales with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis taken by Millie Pilkington on the Windsor Estate earlier that year. One image showed the foursome smiling for the camera, while a second snap showed William grinning as George and Charlotte looked up at him with affection and Louis wrapped his arms around his father’s neck.
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A tribute to Queen Elizabeth was incorporated into the portraits on the first Father’s Day following her death in September 2022. Prince William and his children sat close together on a bench that was a gift for the late Queen’s 90th Birthday in 2016.
Pilkington was credited with taking two other royal portraits released around important milestones this year. The portrait photographer got behind the camera to capture King Charles and Queen Camilla for the first anniversary of their coronation, snapping them together in the gardens of Buckingham Palace on April 10. The bright image was taken the day after their 19th wedding anniversary and issued with the April 26 announcement that the King was resuming public-facing duties after being diagnosed with cancer and starting treatment in February.
On April 29, Kensington Palace published a never-before-seen portrait that Pilkington took of Prince William and Princess Kate, 42, to celebrate their 13th wedding anniversary. The black and white snap captured the couple on their April 2011 wedding day in their wedding finery. Princess Kate wore Queen Elizabeth’s Cartier Halo Tiara and her bridal gown by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen while Prince William sported his second look of the wedding day, swapping the scarlet tunic of the Irish Guards for the black frock coat uniform of the Blues and Royals.
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Earlier this year, the image released by the Prince and Princess of Wales to mark Mother’s Day in the U.K. on March 10 was pulled by multiple news agencies due to suspicion of manipulation. The photo showed Princess Kate sitting outside at home in Windsor with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, with photo credit going to Prince William.
The Princess of Wales issued a rare apology the following day for “any confusion” around the image.
“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day,” Princess Kate wrote on X, signed “C” for Catherine, indicating the personal nature of the message.
As Prince William treads the tightrope of duty to his young family and service to his country, the Prince of Wales’ primary focus is supporting his wife as she continues her recovery.
“For William, everything hinges on Kate’s well-being,” royal biographer Ingrid Seward, author of My Mother and I, previously told PEOPLE.
